Officio Assassinorum
The Officio Assassinorum is quite possibly the most secretive branch of the Imperium, a shadowy sect based on Terra itself devoted to training and managing the most dangerous assassins humanity - and arguably the entire galaxy - can produce. The Officio Assassinorum itself has only the discretionary power to recruit and train assassins. The actual dispatch of these assassins upon targets can only be ordered by the High Lords of Terra themselves. While technically a part of the colossal Administratum, the Assassinorum is so influential that they effectively govern themselves and have their own seat on the High Lords of Terra, the Grand Master of Assassins. Overview An agency as old as the Imperium itself, the Officio Assassinorum was created to address the Imperium's need for exceptionally skilled individual assassins. Where the sledgehammer of the Imperial Guard or the blade of the Adeptus Astartes is an ill-suited implement, the surgical scalpel of the Officio Assassinorum is often the best choice. Imperial Assassins are most typically dispatched against officials of the Imperium itself, such as planetary governors, military officers of the Imperial Guard or Imperial Navy, or even religious leaders of the Ecclesiarchy. An assassination order against these people could be warranted for any number of reasons, but it is often the result of corruption (either spiritual or political), an attempt to secede, or massive incompetence. An incompetent official would typically only be assassinated if they are also too stubborn to step down, however sometimes an assassination is seen as a fitting punishment (and warning to others) for the kind of massive incompetence that results in damage to the Imperium. Of course dispatching an assassin is only necessary if a simple official execution would be too difficult to enact. Of course the agents of the Officio Assassinorum can - and often are - dispatched against non-Imperial targets. High ranking xenos commanders, chaos lords & sorcerers, and all types of high value targets may warrant the dispatch of an Imperial Assassin. For obvious reasons such assignments only need the threat to be great enough to justify risking such an expensive asset. The Temples The Officio Assassinorum is divided into a number of Temples, and each Temple is devoted to training a specific type of assassin. Each Temple typically specialises in one form of killing, that they have honed to an artform, but there are some degrees of overlap between them. Each Temple recruits its candidates in a number of ways, though most of them use the Schola Progenium as a major source. Only those possessing a peerless physique, inhuman strength of will and a clear willingness to kill will be selected for recruitment. Once selected, the recruits are taken onto specialist Assassinorum transport ships that bring them back to the Officio itself on Terra. While en route the recruits wil undergo punishing & dangerous trials to attain only the very best, and assess their genome & talents so as to determine the best Temple for them to enter. Once the ships arrive back on Terra, the recruits are send to the Temple that best suits them for further training. All Assassins are then put through an extensive biological augmentation using arcane sciences that eclipse even the adeptus astartes' procedures. They are rigorously trained in all forms of combat to a degree that takes full of advantage of their now-superhuman physiques, instilled with a virtually slavish obedience to their superiors, and equipped with some of the finest equipment that Mars is capable of crafting. Possibly the most significant part of their augmentation & training is the level to which an assassin's reflexes are honed. Temple Assassins are so perceptive and quick that they can dodge incoming fire with preternatural speed, ducking around bullets and leaping clear of missiles before lesser beings have even seen the shot fire. The full number of different temples is not known, however there are six primary Temples that comprise the vast majority of Assassinorum agents: 'Callidus Temple' The Callidus Temple specialises in disguise & infiltration, and their agents signature equipment is the advanced drug known as polymorphine. With the proper training this archeotech compound can allow a person to change the shape & form of their body to an extreme degree, flesh moulding and bones shifting to create a perfect digsuise. Using polymorphine the human agents of the Callidus Temple can take the form of anything from other humans to xenos such as Eldar, Xo'nad, or even orknoids. Due to the nature of their operation, Callidus Assassins are often the most socially aware of the Temple Assassins, skilled in deception and interaction while the other assassins have little experience in social matters. Aside from the standard physical & mental requirements, the recruits for the Callidus Temple are typically selected if they have a genome suited for using Polymorphine. Such a genome is much more commonly found among females so the Callidus temple is comprised mostly of women, while the other Temples are comprised almost entirely of males. Some of their equipment is: *'Synskin' - All Temple Assassins are equipped with this skintight, spray-on bodyglove that fully conceals their radiation output and blends into the darkness, allowing for superior stealth with no loss in mobility. It is also an advanced for of armour that stiffens on impact to provide modest protection to most attacks. *'C'tan Phase Blade' - Usually mounted on a wrist bracer and extending over the knuckles, these strange weapons are formed from a mysterious reactive metal that phases between reality and another dimension constantly. Armour, thick hides, or sheer thickness of flesh provides no resistance whatsoever to its lethal edge, allowing the assassin to eviscerate a target's most vital organs with ease. *'Neural Shredder' - This barely understoond weapon takes the form of a bulky pistol, the Neural Shredder fires a wave of electromagnetic energy that interferes catastrophically with the nervous system of any living creature caught in its range. Wracked with convulsions & seizures, only those with a tremendous strength of will can maintain themselves, while those of a weaker mental fortitude quickly collapse unconscious or dead. Of course the nature of its operation renders the Neural Shredder useless against inert materials like armour and vehicles, though its radiation passes through any armour as if it weren't there meaing vehicle crews are perfectly viable targets. 'Culexus Temple' One of the most feared of Temples, the Culexus Temple is composed entirely of psychic blanks - humans with no presence in the warp whatsoever. Such a trait makes them supremely effective against enemy psykers, sorcerers and warpborne beings, and indeed this is what they are most often used against. However such is their power that even normal beings are wracked by terror and dread in their presence. Feared by almost all their encounter, most Culexus Assassins will only ever interact with their superiors, making them even less socially able than most assassins. The Culexus Temple scours the galaxy constantly in search of blanks to recruit, though the Sisters of Silence have often already taken the females leaving the Culexus temple to be comprised mostly of men. After recruitment these blanks are biologically augmented and trained in combat to an extreme degree like all assassins, but they are also trained to focus their null field and concentrate it so much that it can be used as a weapon. Their standard equipment is: *'Synskin' - The standard bodyglove for all Temple Assassins *'Animus Speculum' - An arcane helmet that utilises poorly understood sciences, this allows a Culexus to project their null field through its amplification & focussing apparatus to launch bolts of negative psychic energy that literally rip a targets soul from its physical body. Armour is no defence against the concentrated null bolts of an Animus Speculum. The Animus Speculum also incorporates a Psyocculum, that device that allows the user to see the warp overlapping with realspace. This allows the Culexus to easily locate any psykers, and target beings that are otherwise obscured by psychic phenomena. *'Etherium' - The Culexus' Synskin is lined with a mechanism called an Etherium. When ativated this archeotech device shifts the wearer in and out of realspace, making him appear ghostlike and instilling even greater fear in those he stalks. Many of the weak willed struggle to muster the will to even fire upon a phased Culexus, while psychic attacks simply pass right through them without effect. The Etherium also contains a Force Matrix that absorbs excess psychic energy produced by nearby psykers. This Force Matrix channels this absorbed power into the Animus Speculum, enhancing its power further. 'Eversor Temple' A Temple of simple doctrine, the Eversor Assassins are brutal instruments that eschew the concepts of stealth & finesse (though are still capable of both if absolutely necessary). Eversor Assassins are savage creatures filled with a cocktail of combat stimms and other drugs that keep them fuelled and fighting through the most deplorable of conditions. While they are not inclined to the pointless slaughter of anyone & everyone in their path, Eversor Assassins will most certainly eviscerate anything that attempts to stop them or otherwise threatens the success of their mission. Recruitment into the Eversor Temple is primarily based on whether a reruit is compatible with the extreme levels of augmentation and drug infusion the Temple practises. While these could theoretically come from any source, the Eversor Temple favours savage young boys & men from Feral Worlds who can be easily instilled with righteous bloodlust. Their standard equipment is: *'Synskin' - The standard armoured bodyglove for all Temple Assassins *'Combat Drugs' - The defining feature of the Eversors. These toxic chemicals take a terrible toll on even the augmented bodies of the Eversors, but it drives their strength, resilience, and speed to an almost unimaginable level. Even compared with other Temple Assassins they are possessed of extreme strength and a stubborn refusal to die despite grievous wounds, and are capable of landing a flurry of blows faster than a lesser being could blink. Even in death the drugs do their work, turning the Eversor's blood into a combustible substance that detonates with enough force to finish off their target. *'Executioner Pistol' - A combination of bolt pistol & needle pistol. Naturally they use only the best quality enhanced bolt shells, able to punch through almost any armour before detonating. While the toxins within the Needle pistol are so virulent that even Astartes can succum to its effects. While the pistol technically only fires one type of shot at a time, Eversor Assassins can operate the pistol's mechanisms so swiftly that they appear to fire both simultaneously. *'Neuro Gauntlet' - A vicious weapon consisting of five adamantium toxin-injectors each mounted on the end of one of the Eversor's fingers, and wreathed in a crackling energy field. Able to slice through any armour and deposit an enormous amount of toxin through awful wounds with a single rake, the Neuro Gauntlet's toxins are even capable of affecting warp beings such as daemons, indicating a warp element to its synthesis. *'Power Sword' - Where a Neural Gauntlet may not inflict enough direct damage, this ultradense power blade will. Capable of cleaving a Sentinel in half with the strength of an Eversor behind it, this is a brutal weapon. *'Melta Bombs' - Whatever he cannot kill with his pistol of blades, the Eversor will slag with a potent arsenal of Melta Bombs in a variety of designs. 'Vanus Temple' Somewhat unique amongst the Temples in that they are not devoted to killing, but information gathering. Known as 'Info-cytes', the agents of the Vanus Temple are still ferociously skilled & discretely augmented combatants and more than capable of killing. Vanus Assassins have incredible intelligence & strategic acumen, able to predict the actions of their targets a hundred moves in advance and determine the success probabilities of any potential course of action. While this generally means they work best while supporting other assassins, they can also work alone, typically 'arranging' the death of their target through careful planning & preparation rather than perform a suspicious kill themselves. Recruitment into the Vanus Temple requires a high level of intelligence and analytical skills alongside the physical expectations. Once brought into the Temple they are given more subtle augmentations than their fellow assassins, enhancing their strength & toughness but also their intelligence. Miniscule databanks and cogitators are installed into their brains and beneath their skin where they cannot be seen, affording them massive computational power like the techpriests of the Adeptus Mechanicus but retaining the distinctly human flair of imagination that allows them to create complex plots to reach their goal. 'Venenum Temple' The Venenum Temple specialises in killing through the use of poison rather than direct violence. The agents of the Venenum Temple are all masters of chemistry and concoction, able to craft terrifyingly lethal poisons from what seem the most inane of everyday compounds. Venenum Assassins then use their extreme physical skills and stealth to plant such poisons, and are capable of a massive variety of delivery methods. Ingestion is the most obvious of course, but such is the Venenum Assassins' skills that their poisons can be lethal through mere contact, even through clothes. Meaning so much as sitting on a chair of grasping a doorknob can result in death to their targets. Recruitment into the Venenum Temple requires the intelligence, speed & memory required to craft any of the enormous varieties of poison as needed. It also needs recruits that are capable of the many kinds of infiltration methods needed to plant the poisons where they need to be. Despite their clandestine methods the Venenum Assassins are all still highly trained & augmented for combat, ensuring that a troublesome guard or unlucky witness will not affect their poisoning efforts. 'Vindicare Temple' Masters of the long ranged kill. Vindicare Assassins are considered the finest snipers in the galaxy, eclipsing even the Pathfinders of the Eldar. Vindicares possess a supernatural talent for accuracy, able to make the most difficult of shots over multi-kilometre distances. The Temple focuses on training their assassins to have an enormous amount of patience and ability for stealth, ensuring they can remaing hidden within a vantage point for days waiting for the perfect shot. Of course despite their focus on ranged combat Vindicares are still augmented and trained into ferocious melee combatants, as many a fool has learned upon thinking they have the sniper cornered. Recruits for the Vindicare Temple are - along with the usual extreme physical & mental requirements - mainly chosen for possessing a natural affinity for accuracy. They also need the patience and stealth skills required to make their kill without being detected. Their standard equipment is: *'Stealth Suit '- An enhanced version of Synskin that incorporates a chameleoline camouflage layer that allows the assassin to turn practically invisible when stationary. *'Spy Mask' - A full face mask that incorporates magnification lenses, radiation sensors, anti-flash shielding, pict-recording, and a rebreather. This mask interfaces directly with a Vindicare's brain via cerebral implants and calculates trajectories, distances, and environmental effects, allowing the Vindicare to make the perfect shot. It also allows the Vindicare to see clearly in almost any environment, analyse their target's armour, and tap into communications systems. Finally it also contains small cartridges of concentrated nutrition, allowing the assassin to remain still for days at a time. *'Exitus Rifle' - A master crafted sniping weapon produced by the best artisans of Mars. Each Exitus rifle is a work of art, capable of exceptional accuracy over the longest ranges. Its powerful telescopic sight incorporates a predatory machine spirit, helping to guide the shooter's hand towards the most effective shot. Each rifle incorporates a complex and highly effective suppressor. *'Exitus Pistol' - Each rifle is crafted with a matching pistol. These backup weapons are smaller and require only a single hand to use, and while they have a drastically reduced range compared to the rifle they are capable of firing the same powerful ammuition. Each pistol also includes a suppressor. *'Exitus Ammunition' - The projectiles fired by an Exitus rifle are each exceptionally well-crafted and rare. Each one is tailored for a specific purpose, but all of them are capable of punching through even the thickest personal armour thanks to their adamantium tip and massive velocity: **'Hellfire Rounds' - With a core of mutagenic acid and and micro-needles, this round is devastating to organic matter. These acids are capable of eating away a human in a matter of seconds, even generously assuming the initial impact is not enough to kill. Against larger targets such as enormous ork warbosses, the fearsome bio-acid can eat away vast chunks of their frame in microseconds. **'Shield-Breaker Rounds' - Imprinted with psychic energy and lined with poorly-understood anti-phase technology, these rounds are capable of breaching & overloading almost any known form of force field, including those created by psychic powers. **'Turbo-Penetrator Round' - A hypervelocity round sheathed in solid adamantium with a secondary charge that can force a solid slug through even the thickest armour. Ferrocrete and even heavy tank armour is no defence against this round. Known Assassins *'Vindicare Ceiron' - Has operated in Sector Deus numorous times. Is an acquaintance of the Ghosts of Retribution. *'Eversor Anarxio' - Assigned to hunt down Lord Admiral Tyrel Hagen in 355.M41. The kill order was suspended before he could complete his mission.